Jacksonville spaceport

[JagFan07]

This is so very cool!!!!

Cecil Field airport, in Jacksonville, Fla., won a federal license on Monday for commercial space flights, according to a Reuters report.

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority plans to offer Cecil Field's 12,500-foot long, 200-foot wide runway to a range of commercial space operators, including Virgin Galactic, Reuters said.

In December, Virgin Galactic unveiled SpaceShipTwo, which will be able to carry up to six passengers -- paying $200,000 apiece -- and two pilots into space on a sub-orbital flight after launching from a White Knight Two mother ship above 50,000 feet.

Virgin Galactic rolled out its ship at Mojave Air and Space Port, in California, and plans to operate out of Spaceport America, in New Mexico.

"The big difference between Cecil Field and the New Mexico spaceport is that we have facilities already in place," Todd Lindner, who has been overseeing development of the Jacksonville spaceport, told Reuters. He said the Jacksonville Aviation Authority is working with several potential customers, which he declined to name.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/191008.asp

[samiam]

I wonder if our mayor has the forsight to call Virgin Galactic and let them know we can have them operational ASAP

[samiam]

It would be nice if Virgin Galactic would move there HQ to Jacksonville

[tufsu1]

I wonder if our mayor has the forsight to call Virgin Galactic and let them know we can have them operational ASAP

Yes...JEDC has already done that!

[Jason]

Great news.  I think this could be a cornerstone to a massive future industry.

[Overstreet]

I wonder if that little space ship does the dead stick landing and sonic booms the space shuttle does.

Of course I can't help wondering just what that means. What, other than a long wide not real busy air strip, constitutes a space port able to get a license?

[Jason]

The Virgin spaceship does a horizontal launch.  It starts off "piggyback" on a larger aircraft and is dropped midflight where it then fires off into a very low orbit barely out of the atmosphere.  It lands with a live stick just like a normal aricraft.  This type of launch system is no louder than any normal military or comercial jet.

http://www.virgingalactic.com/


I'm not sure what all goes into the application though.

[Sportmotor]

That would be really neet

[mtraininjax]

paying $200,000 a piece

Sure, and we'll all line up with 200k a piece and take a ride. This is boutique travel for people who use 100 dollar bills like candy. Love how JAA clams up when asked about other ventures.

[CS Foltz]

mtraininjax..............might be because they don't have any other plans! I have not seen much or even heard from the JAA head, makes me wonder if the secret shopper program is still hopping and bopping!

[Bostech]

For 200K you could take a trip to Dubai,go to top of Burj Dubai..I mean Khalif and get same kind of experience...and still got enough money left to by brand new BMW.

[urbanlibertarian]

Is the spaceport only for earthling departures to space or also for ET arrivals from space? 

[Bostech]

No,ET use 9A for arrivals.

[tufsu1]

mtraininjax..............might be because they don't have any other plans! I have not seen much or even heard from the JAA head, makes me wonder if the secret shopper program is still hopping and bopping!

Do you even know who the head of JAA is?  Did you know that he only recently came to Jax. and has been on the job for about 6 months?

[finehoe]